Gourmet Mushrooms, Inc.
Sebastopol, CA
www.mycopia.com

The Definitive Guide to Mushroom Nomenclature


Gourmet Mushrooms, Inc. has been concerned in recent years over the misnaming of mushrooms in markets, cookbooks, menus and web sites. In an effort to bring order back to this chaotic situation we are making this guide available to food writers and editors, chefs, restaurateurs and produce brokers.

Mushroom nomenclature needs to be rescued from its current state of disorder. Gourmet Mushrooms, Inc., a pioneer in the field of cultivated mushrooms, has perhaps unwittingly added to the confusion by creating distinctive names for its cultivars. We continue to feel that our mushrooms deserve differentiation, because they each have readily identifiable unique characteristics.

Mushroom lore thrives on regional and idiosyncratic names. Even mycologists (scientists who study mushrooms) are sometimes unclear about their names, shifting mushrooms from one genus to another, or deciding that two previously identified species are really just manifestations of one. One needs a little Latin, a little Japanese and a lot of patience to talk about mushrooms.

We have no objection to one mushroom having many names. What we seek to avoid is referring to different mushrooms by the same name when one is correct and the other is not.


Below you will find a listing of exotic cultivated mushrooms, beginning in each case with their scientific names and followed by widely accepted alternates. Gourmet Mushroom, Inc.’s trademarked names are in bold.

Agrocybe aegerita
Pioppini. Velvet Pioppini™, Pioparelli, Black Poplar Mushroom Piopino, Chestnut Mushroom (Sometimes misnamed, even in Italy, as chiodini which is Armillaria mellea, the honey mushroom)

Grifola frondosa
Maitake, Hen-of-the-Woods (Not related in any way to Chicken-of-the-Woods – which is Laetiporus sulphureus.)


Hericium erinaceus
Lion’s Mane. Pom Pon Blanc™, Pom Pom Blanc, Bear’s Head. Old Man’s Beard. Monkey’s Head

Hypsizygus tessulatus (or sometimes Hypsizygus marmoreus)
Honshimeji, Buna-shimeji. Alba Clamshell™. Brown Clamshell™. Beech Mushroom. (Hon-shimeji is still a very common for this mushroom even in Japan. Buna-shimeji is considered correct and preferred in Japan.)

Lepista nuda (also Clitocybe nuda)
Blewit. Bluefoot. Ped Blau. Pied Bleu

Pholiota nameko
Nameko. Forest Nameko™. Butterscotch mushroom. Sometimes called Cinnamon Cap or Cinnamon Nameko. The nameko species can always be identified by its glossy cap. People sometimes call this a honey mushroom (Armillaria mellea) based solely on appearance, another incorrect usage.

Pholiota sp.
Cinnamon Cap™ The Cinnamon Cap variety always has a dry cap, often speckled with white flakes.

Pluerotus eryngii
King Oyster. Trumpet Royale™. French Horn. Gambone. Royal Trumpet. Eryngi.

Pluerotus nebrodensis
Nebrodini Bianco™, Bai Ling Gui (Sometimes called Abalone mushroom. This is incorrect. The Abalone is Pleurotus abalonius. And that’s no baloney!)

Pleurotus ostreatus
Oyster Mushroom. Baby Oyster Cluster™. Pleurotte. Hiratake. Baby Oyster. Baby Blue Oyster™. In the old nomenclature shimeji was often used by itself in Japan as shorthand to designate this mushroom. Hiratake is now considered to be correct, but the use of shimeji continues. There are a number of colored oyster mushrooms, all of the Pleurotus species, but often not Pleurotus ostreatus.

Two excellent web resources for accurate information about mushrooms are www.mushroomexpert.com and www.tomvolkfungi.net.

For further information please contact the author Bob Engel, Gourmet Mushroom’s Chef Liaison -- bob@mycopia.com.

Fall rains are eliciting Chanterelles, Porcini and Matsutake from our local woods. Yummy treats if you know where to look. Also popping up are many Amanita muscaria, the bright red mushroom with white dots that was featured in Disney's Fantasia and is common in many fairy tales from Northern Europe. I've always thought it odd that this mushroom occurs in so many children's fables as it is poisonous, though not usually fatal. There is a hallucinogenic effect from Amanita muscaria, but the ratio of hallucinogen to toxic elements is never certain. It's like buying a bottle of vodka that has at least some poisonous wood alcohol in it, but you never know how much. A bad bet.

A much better bet is my recipe for Turkey Stuffing (or Dressing depending on what part of the country you come from). It's good with almost any mushroom, wild, white, or exotic cultivated ones like the Trumpet Royale. Trumpet Royale is the trade marked name for the king oyster mushrooms grown by Gourmet Mushrooms, Inc. They are available under the Mycopia brand from many Whole Foods and other stores.


Herb Stuffing with Trumpet Royale™ Mushrooms

3/4 loaf day-old bread, cubed, about six cups - whole wheat or white
1/2 stick butter or 3 Tablespoon vegetable oil
8 oz. Trumpet Royale™ mushrooms coarsely chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 cup celery, diced
3 oz. Madeira or sherry (optional)
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts
1 teaspoon each dry thyme and sage (or 2 tsp. Bell’s™ Seasoning)
1 egg (optional)
1/2 cup vegetable or turkey stock
salt and black pepper to taste

Sauté onion, shallot, celery and mushrooms in butter for about ten minutes on medium heat, add Madeira or sherry and simmer until almost dry. Add dried thyme and sage to the sautéed vegetables, then toss with cubed bread, fresh parsley, dried herbs and toasted nuts. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with stock (mix with beaten egg, if desired) to moisten. Bake inside the bird or as a side. If baked separately, generously butter a pan or casserole. Cover with greased aluminum foil. Bake 45 minutes at 350 covered, then 15 minutes more uncovered. Serves 6-8. Butter can be increased to taste. Recipe can be doubled or tripled as needed.

While the summer months yield very little in the way of wild-foraged mushrooms, that no longer means that cooks are limited to white buttons, shiitake and portabellas. Enoki mushrooms have been used to garnish salads for years and now other exotic mushrooms are moving onto summer menus as specialty farms learn to how to harvest mushrooms year round. Chefs find that Trumpet Royale™ mushrooms, which have a firm texture and meaty flavor, can be grilled like porcini. Crisp-textured Clamshell™ varieties can be featured ingredients in salads. Here's one idea for mushrooms on the summer menu.

Asian Mushroom Salad
2 Tablespoons mild vegetable oil
8 oz. honshimeji mushrooms, such as Alba Clamshell™ and/or Brown Clamshell™ mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger root, grated (optional)
2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
½ teaspoon sugar
Optional: 1 teaspoon Thai fish sauce
2 Tablespoons thin sliced green onion
6 ounces, about 4 cups, mixed baby lettuces – Arugula, frisée and baby spinach

Heat vegetable oil in broad skillet on medium high. Add mushrooms, whole or sliced, Cook three minutes on high. Add ginger and remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients in order - toss with salad mix and serve immediately. There will be a pleasing contrast of cool and warm and the some of the greens will wilt just slightly. Garnish with green onion slivers. Serves 4.

Now accepting recipes, reviews, raves and rants from chefs and mushroom fans and foragers. Please share your mushroom ideas with your fellow chefs. We may include them in other Chef-to-chef communications, so no copyrighted material please.

I'm always looking for new recipes to enjoy with our specialty mushrooms. This one is made with the Trumpet Royale variety, which is a kind of King Oyster (Pleurotus eryngii) -- Hope you enjoy it.



Mushroom Strudel with Trumpet Royale™


8 oz. Trumpet Royale™ Mushrooms, see directions for preparation
1/2 cup shallot or onion, diced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper
2 Tablespoons fine dry bread crumb
2 teaspoons whole grain brown mustard
1/2 cup (about 2 oz. by weight) grated Jarlsburg or havarti cheese
2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
4 sheets phyllo dough
3 Tablespoons olive oil or melted butter

The Trumpet Royale can be prepared by hand or in a food processor. In either case you want half the mushrooms medium chopped (about the size of a pea) and the rest finely chopped. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté shallot or onion until translucent, then add mushrooms and seasonings. Cook three minutes longer, remove from heat, then stir in the bread crumbs followed by the mustard, cheese and fresh parsley. -- Lay a sheet of phyllo with the narrow edge facing you, brush lightly with oil or butter, then top with another sheet. Repeat with remaining sheets, also brushing the last one. Form mushroom mixture into a log shape at the edge of the phyllo nearest to you, leaving a one inch gap at the sides. Roll the phyllo up, push the ends in to seal and place seam side down on a baking pan. Brush top and sides lightly with remaining butter or oil. Bake in 400° oven about twenty minutes or until pastry is pale golden. Allow to cool five minutes before slicing. A stunning appetizer for four.

That isn't Photoshop. Those are real mushrooms attached to my summer hair do with theatrical spirit gum. The large ones are Trumpet Royale(tm) -- aka king oyster or pleurotus eryngii -- the small ones are Cinnamon Cap(tm) -- aka pholiota sp.

A restaurant 'chef in recovery' I have found a fabulous home with America's most innovative mushroom farm. Fascinated by fun fungi, I will host ideas, recipes and explorations of the Kingdom of Fungi. Your own ideas about edible mushrooms are welcome whether you are a mycologist, foodie, or twigs-in-the-hair forager -- join the discussion.